Demons, Devils, and Dragonsbane

The World of Gamon

The Third Age

The Third Age began in 782, when a human tribe that was in the “barbaric” Southwestern Plains stumbled upon an awesome and terrible discovery – the ability to scribe magic into scrolls. This was due to the interference of the Gold Dragon Cheranel who was rumored to have mixed his bloodline with those of humans to breed the first human sorcerers. Del’mirthar Jade was the alleged sorcerer who was the first to learn how to scribe spells onto scrolls, prompting the first wizards to learn magic. Magic had been known to exist previously, but it was shrouded in mystery.

The humans shared this information with the highest bidders – the Elves and Gnomes who were being driven out of their homelands by the armies of Farun. Elven and Gnomish magical potential was incredible; the settlements of Ranburildad and Aarnira instantly popped up and housed magic-users. When word of these “mages” reached the ears of Ankarenth III, he quickly dispatched more forces to the Southwest to drive them out. In a large defensive guerrilla war, the elves, gnomes, and southwestern humans decimated Ankarenth’s soldiers, who were blown away by magic.

Eventually, the mages fought offensively. They laid siege to Tarth Moorda, and the “invincible” fortress fell in four hours. Despite the fact that thousands of soldiers were stationed at Tarth Moorda, area-of-effect spells, charms, and illusions confounded and utterly decimated the mass numbers. Similarly, other settlements of Farun in the region were taken, such as Jerren in 800.

The siege prompted Ankarenth III to withdraw from the Southwest to minimize casualties. He soon became afflicted by a “mysterious” illness (probably magically caused) and died in 803.

The elves, gnomes, and human mages of the Southwest formed a protectorate to guard themselves, magic, and its secrets. This protectorate was called the Magocracy, and it was ruled by the most powerful mage of the time (the first Elder Mage was Del’mithar Jade). Other powerful arcane magic users held positions in an Elder Council, which controlled the actions of an enforcement branch headed by a Spellguard , who in turn, controls other enforcers. Every seven years, new leaders are chosen through the Dweomerlist, or a series of magical duels to determine the most powerful mage of the time.

Time Period: 782-936

Weaponry: Near-modern. Swordsmithing is perfected, while magic is becoming more and more frequently used.

Politics: Farun is contained to the North, while their southern possessions rebel and form the Magocracy, which would be a powerful political force from that moment on.